Blade & Soul NEO will be released on February 25, and we were recently given the opportunity to interview NC America's Andrew Long, Senior Producer, and Andrew Gant, Community Manager, about the upcoming release and what players can expect from the MMORPG Blade & Soul Live will continue to exist at the same time, with updates being released for that title alongside this new and improved version of the game.
Before the interview, I was given an exclusive look at the game in a presentation. This presentation showed off the expansive customization available, where you can tweak characters in any way you can imagine to make them fully yours.
When the game launches, it will be launching with seven of the 14 classes that are currently available in Blade & Soul Live. As you explore the game, there will be many different outfits that you can collect to keep your character fashionable while facing off against bosses or other players in PvP. Additionally, those who purchase the exclusive pre-order bundles will also get some special outfits and cosmetics. The graphics are revamped, giving the game a fresh coat of paint. As the developers stated, the story will be the beloved Blade & Soul story that you know and love, with some extra improvements made along the way.
In the interview, I made sure to ask some of the burning questions that the dedicated community had, as well as get some answers to questions of my own.
What went into the decision to remake Blade & Soul now rather than earlier or later?
Andrew Long: A lot of us have this nostalgia where we feel like when the game launched in our time frame, it was the best it's ever been, and so, we really wanted to relive that experience and address it with new audiences, there's a whole new generation of people who weren't even born yet, or old enough to play video games at the time Blade & Soul launched. We want to have that interaction between the old and the new, playing all together in that experience.
Blade & Soul NEO is adding a lot of features to make the game friendlier for new audiences, including the addition of infinite Windwalking. Prior to this, you had an allotted amount of Windwalking that you could do before you ran out of stamina. Now, you can Windwalk as much as you like, which will allow you to scale new buildings, take pictures in new locations that you would have never been able to reach in the previous version of the game, and much more.
Will there be ranked systems for PvP or PvE?
Andrew Long: When our 6v6 battlegrounds come out, we'll have the awards attached to those. At the time of launch, there's not going to be any of those systems in the game. But, the battleground 6v6 arena does come very quickly after the launch. We want to monitor how people are going to take the launch, and we're going to enjoy that content, and when we see people getting towards the end of it, we have that content ready to go.
Are there plans to add new classes that didn't exist in the original?
Andrew Long: As far as classes go, in Live we're up to 14 classes. We want to introduce those into NEO as well. We don't have a timeline exactly... As far as new classes, it's something we're going to look into; I don't have anything to share at this time.
Will there be any stories or expansions added to NEO that won't be added to Live and vice versa?
Andrew Long: I don't want to spoil anything, but that is definitely something we want to do.
What is your favorite part of NEO compared to Live?
Andrew Gant: It comes down to what kind of MMO gamer you are, I love adventure and exploration. I'll probably be gobbling up the infinite Windwalking and exploring every single section of the map, looking for hidden places, and probably trying to get my friends to climb a building that you've never been able to get to the top of just to take pictures. I love the new aspects and exploration journal that we've added, these little hidden unlockables that you can find from exploring the world.
Andrew Long: I'm really excited, we've changed how the gear drops in Blade & Soul NEO. In Live, you get all of your weapons and accessories at a base level, and the base level is all the same. You go through a zero to 20 upgrade system, and it's very harsh. I'm not a big fan of that system, personally. What we've done in NEO is more of a traditional style. We've really upped the drop rates of thing,s and the secondary stats are going to be randomized. You're going to be able to get a lot more gear... I'm really excited that I'm not going to have to run a dungeon a thousand times before I even see a piece of gear that is what I want.
Will there be any plans for controller compatibility down the line?
Andrew Long: Currently, we don't have controller compatibility at the moment. We are going to be looking at other platforms, whether it's going to be console or Steam. We're definitely looking at that right now. At the time of launch, we will not have controller support available.
Will there be NVIDIA DLSS and AMD FSR support?
Andrew Gant: I know we have DLSS available, but I'm not sure about the other. There are an incredible amount of customizations you can do so that your machine can run NEO just fine. The recommended specifications are very similar, if not the same, as the ones for Blade & Soul Live.
Thank you for your time.
The team behind Blade & Soul NEO has a lot planned to ensure that the game is friendly and accessible to new audiences. This includes completely optional PvP, gathering systems, and plenty of gear to unlock. The story will be authentically Blade & Soul, with the improved visuals bringing a fresh lick of paint to a game that is beloved by its community. Blade & Soul NEO will be available for free on PC on February 25 in North America and Europe.
